The Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) joined the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI), Ministry of Investments, Trade & Industry (MITI), students and innovators at Eldoret National Polytechnic to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day 2026 under the theme “IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate.”

Held in Eldoret, a city celebrated for producing world-class athletes, the event placed a spotlight on the value behind sports from athlete brands and team identities to sports merchandise, broadcasting rights, performance technologies and designs.

Officiating the event on behalf of the Principal Secretary for State Department for Industry, Mr. Karanja Njora, Secretary Administration, State Department for Industry, noted that sports is a lucrative and rewarding career, comparable to professions such as medicine, engineering and law. In a speech delivered on behalf of Dr. Juma Mukhwana,CBS Principal Secretary, he emphasized that strong intellectual property protection enables athletes, innovators and enterprises to invest in their talents and innovations with confidence.

He challenged athletes to protect their names and image rights as valuable brands, urged students and innovators to register their inventions and designs early, and encouraged sports clubs and federations to treat trademarks and copyrights as strategic assets.

Speaking during the celebration, the Executive Director, Dr. Robi M. King’a, PhD said sports today goes beyond competition, describing it as a dynamic industry built on creativity, innovation, branding and enterprise.

He noted that intellectual property protects the value that drives the sports ecosystem, including jerseys, logos, merchandise, broadcasting, technology and athlete image rights.

Dr. King’a warned that counterfeiting poses a direct threat to sports by diverting revenue from athletes, clubs, innovators and legitimate businesses, weakening sponsorship value, discouraging investment and exposing consumers to substandard products.

He reaffirmed ACA’s commitment to protecting the sports economy through enforcement, public education, research and collaboration with intellectual property rights holders and partner agencies.

The celebration also featured exhibitions showcasing counterfeit sports merchandise, giving students and participants practical insights into the risks posed by fake products.

As Kenya continues to position sports as a driver of national pride, enterprise and economic growth, the event underscored the need to protect creativity, innovation and genuine products across the sports value chain.

Speaking during the World Intellectual Property Day celebrations at Eldoret National Polytechnic, Ms. Annie Obiero from ACA’s Education and Public Awareness Department noted that counterfeiting in sports goes beyond fake jerseys and sportswear, as she showcased samples of counterfeit sports merchandise to demonstrate how such products exploit trusted brands and mislead consumers.

ACA Eldoret Regional Manager, Mr. Peter Wanyonyi, added that counterfeit sports merchandise undermines innovation, denies legitimate businesses revenue, and exposes consumers to poor quality products.

He encouraged students, traders and members of the public to buy genuine products, respect intellectual property rights and report suspected counterfeit goods through ACA’s official channels.